principle-minimize-reader-load
Apply when reviewing or shaping code that's hard to trace. Count layers between question and answer, and hidden state in the reader's head; collapse one-caller wrappers and shrink mutable scope.
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- 84
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/poteto/plugins --skill principle-minimize-reader-load- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads principle-minimize-reader-load automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Minimize Reader Load
Maintainability is the work a reader must do to understand code. Track two axes:
- Layers to trace. How many indirections sit between the question and the answer.
- State to hold. How much hidden or mutable context the reader must keep in their head.
Why: Code is read far more than it is written. LOC, cyclomatic complexity, and "clean architecture" are proxies. Reader load is the thing that matters. The two axes are independent. A flat file with 50 globals can be as hard to reason about as a 6-layer adapter stack. Guard both. This is the human analog of Guard the Context Window: working memory is finite for readers too.
The pattern:
- Collapse layers that do not earn their keep: wrappers with one caller, adapters with no second implementation, indirection introduced for a future that never came. Inline them.
- Shrink state scope: prefer pure functions (returns over mutations), locals over fields, fields over module state, and module state over globals. Derive instead of sync.
- Name the invariant at the boundary, not in every consumer, so the reader learns it once.
- Before adding a layer or a piece of state, ask: does this reduce reader load somewhere else by at least as much?
The test: Can a new reader answer "where does X come from?" and "what can change X?" in under 30 seconds? If not, cut layers or cut state.
FAQ
What does the principle-minimize-reader-load skill do?
Apply when reviewing or shaping code that's hard to trace. Count layers between question and answer, and hidden state in the reader's head; collapse one-caller wrappers and shrink mutable scope.
How do I install principle-minimize-reader-load?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/poteto/plugins --skill principle-minimize-reader-load in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/principle-minimize-reader-load/ (personal) or .claude/skills/principle-minimize-reader-load/ (project).
Which AI agents can use principle-minimize-reader-load?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is principle-minimize-reader-load safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains principle-minimize-reader-load?
It is published by poteto in poteto/plugins. It has 84 recorded installs.
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